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2/3/2012: JACPAC Joins Pro-Choice Protests; Komen Reinstates Funding

Highland Park, IL Feb 3, 2012 – Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs (JACPAC) applauds the efforts of our members and those of pro-choice advocates all over the country. Our voices were heard.

The outcry of support for Planned Parenthood and criticism for the decision by Susan G. Komen for the Cure to sever ties with the organization was more than a mere exercise in free expression. The controversy galvanized the pro-choice community to mount a spontaneous protest that Komen could not ignore. JACPAC and other pro-choice organizations sprang into action. Komen’s donors and local chapter organizations were outraged; Planned Parenthood’s donations skyrocketed. Our pro-choice friends in the US House and Senate have gone on record with open letters to Komen.

This could be a precedent-setting move that will have a far-reaching impact. It could demonstrate that catering to the political right is not only wrong, it has negative consequences. It signals the religious right that a political agenda based on sectarian beliefs runs counter to the constitutional separation of religion and state, a matter of great concern to the Jewish community and to JACPAC. The publicity surrounding the Komen-Planned Parenthood controversy has put certain lawmakers on notice that their anti-woman and Constitution-defying agenda will not be tolerated. Forced ultrasounds, pre-abortion lectures by uninformed non-medical personnel, “conscience” clauses that allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions they disapprove of, and opt-out provisions that allow hospitals and medical personnel to refuse to provide life-saving abortions have no place in our society. If our actions put an end to such measures by limiting the power of the right wing, then the pro-choice cause has made a giant leap forward. JACPAC is proud to be a leader in the effort.

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Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs (JACPAC) is a bipartisan political action committee dedicated to the special relationship between the US and Israel and a social agenda that includes reproductive choice and separation of religion and state. JACPAC supports the election campaigns of US Senate and House candidates who uphold this agenda and maintains an ongoing dialogue with those it helps elect. JACPAC serves as a political resource for the Jewish community, furnishing information about candidates, elections and issues.